Hey guys.  It’s that time of month again.  Well it’s not that time, but it is time for another issue. 

We got to enjoy a little breather, in that if you noticed there was a three-week break between this issue and the last.  It happens four times a year and I for one look forward to it. 

In case you didn’t know it, this month is Gay History Month.  I picked a couple of pieces that I really thought you would like. The first is about the late Walter Cronkite.  I know that many of you are too young to realize the importance this man played in the field of reporting news, but it was significant.  He was always thinking outside the box for the best way to let us know what was really going on in whatever area of the world he was covering.  It did not matter if it was a war or NASA.  He set the bar very high when it came to telling America and the world the truth.  The Gay History Month project has provided us with the text of an interview he did about gay equality.  I promise you will be surprised when you read it as to how far ahead of his day his thinking was. 

I have also put in a piece on Walt Whitman.  I can remember growing up on Long Island where he lived.  Every grade school for years would take field trips to his house when we studied poetry.  Then as gay acceptance grew and it became accepted knowledge that he was an out gay man in his time, it seemed that those field trips became less and less of a common thing for schools to do.  And that is a real pity.  In his poem “Leaves of Grass” he presents a wonderful recollection of gay life in a different time.  A must read if you ask me. 

But also interesting in retrospect, is to wonder how different gay men would be looked upon in America if Walt was the out celebrity of the day and not Ernest Hemingway.  Oh yes, both men have left behind great works and contributions to us.  But Ernie was also what they call “Foppish”.  In short, too obsessed with his cloths and they were very much effeminate where Walt was an outdoorsman who adventured in the wild.  Most assuredly not a sissy boy.  I would venture to say that no matter what bar Walt walked into; no one dared to call him Nancy. 

Anyway, please take time to visit the Web site this month.  Every day there is a new video clip available for you to check out about various icons in the gay community, featuring a varied cast of characters, from former RIAA head (and the one who sued all those callege students over music downloads) Hilary Rosen to financial adviser Suze Orman.  They are all quite enjoyable, and they should tie you over until next issue. 

Until then, I hope to see you out and about.